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A Court sits on the Bth May, when all the proclaimed blocks in Patetere will come on for hearing. Will be glad if you will give instructions to Percy Smith, Chief Surveyor, to accept surveys and maps. Position of Government is rather strengthened than weakened by lauds passing Court, as Proclamation is not removed, and you can then (if so decided) obtain legal signatures. I shall feel extremely obliged if you can spare time to look into this, and give me a reply. If I have not put the matter clearly enough, will be glad to furnish further explanation.—.T. Sheehan. No. 136. (Telegram.) Government Buildings, "Wellington, 2nd April, 1880. John Sheehan, M.H.R., Auckland.- —I have to go Wanganui, in consequence of a death in my family. Will be back on Tuesday next. Patetere must stand over until then ; but I believe, if minor blocks go through Court the)'- will be gradually worked away from Government control. —John Beyce. No. 137. Cambridge, 16th April, 1880. Hon. Natite Ministee, Wellington. —I understand you leave for Auckland about the end of the week. Kindly bring the whole original papers re Patetere. You need not take them beyond Auckland. If you think proper, several Native chiefs will come down and see you, to save time. Everything else is progressing well, and settlement with Government will be arranged without difficulty.—J. Sheehan. No. 138. Civil Commissioner's Office, Auckland, 24th April, 1880. Messes. J. Sheehan, M.H.E., B. B. Walker, and two others waited on the Hon. Native Minister to-day, with reference to matters connected with the survey and purchase of the Patetere Block. J. Sheehan, M.H.8., introduced the deputation, and stated briefly the objects the gentlemen who accompanied him had to bring before the Native Minister. He said there were a number of Natives waiting outside the building, who wished to see the Native Minister, and ask him to remove the Proclamation from the block, allow the surveys to proceed, and the land to go through the Court. Hon. Native Minister said, about the time that he came into office the survey-parties were about to proceed to Patetere to survey the land. The surveyors were actually on their road to commence operations when he came into office. They had merely been stopped or detained temporarily for a few days. At that time a deputation of Maoris came to Wellington, and asked that the survey should be stopped, and to stop a private surveyor who was surveying land adjacent to the Patetere Block. The deputation urged that there was danger of bloodshed if the survey proceeded. He believed that their fears in that direction were exaggerated ; but he thought it would have been the easiest thing in life to stop the survey, and, after giving the subject very full consideration, he came to the conclusion to stop the survey from going on. It seemed the position was so far changed that the same Maoris who formerly desired to stop the survey, and the Europeans associated with them, requested that the survey should go on. It seemed to him that was the first thing to be done, and he was perfectly willing that the survey should go on. Mr. Sheehan said he had seen all the people interested, and they were anxious that the survey should go on. There were in Auckland eleven of the principal chiefs from all parts of the district, who would ask him (Hon. Native Minister) to let the survey go on. Hon. Native Minister said there was this point: He supposed one section wished the survey to go on at that time, and one stopped it. The people who w*ished it to be stopped at that time now wish it to go on : possibly the people who formerly wished it to go on might now wish it stopped. Could Mr. Sheehan inform him on that point? Mr. Sheehan pointed out the positions of the tribal boundaries on a sketch of the block, and gave the Hon. Native Minister information about the several hapus concerned. Hon. Native Minister said there were, he believed, eighteen minor blocks inside the block in question. If he understood them, they wished now that the survey of the minor blocks should go on, but not the main one. Mr. Sheehan said, the whole lot. Some 80,000 or 90,000 acres still remained unsurveyed. They were applying for the whole area to be surveyed. Hon. Native Minister inquired if that was the application. Mr. Sheehan answered, Yes. Hon. Native Minister inquired if, then, they wished the external boundaries of Patetere proper to be completed. Mr. Sheehan said they wanted to go on with the external boundaries first. The applications now made were to survey the land. The subdivisions now made were subdivisions according to Native customs. There might be no virtual external boundaries according to the Proclamation. What they proposed to do was to survey what was called the Tokoroa Block. [Mr. Sheehan here pointed out the situation of the block on a map of the district.] Mr. Sheehan, in answer to a question from the Hon. Native Minister, said the Waikato Eiver was the boundary of the Patetere Block in some places. Hon. Native Minister said he was quite prepared to decide the matter, as far as he was concerned, now. With respect to the external boundary, he was quite willing that that survey should go on if they assured him that it would not be opposed. Mr. Sheehan said he would not press that the external boundary should be surveyed if he were not certain that it would go on without opposition. Hon. Native Minister said, if certain minor blocks which Mr. Sheehan had mentioned were allowed to go through the Court, the inducement for settling the boundaries of the main block might disappear. The Maoris might easily be induced to stop the survey of the external block. 4-G. 1.